


Danganronpa v1: Trigger Happy Havoc!

by Bella_chan



Category: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Friendship/Love, Love, Major Spoilers, Multi, My First Smut, Near Death, OC, Original Character(s), Other, Trials, Will had more later, killing game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2019-12-25 19:15:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18267686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bella_chan/pseuds/Bella_chan
Summary: Harada Maeko, the ever-so shy girl, have been accepted to attend Hope's Peak Academy! Although, all her excitement was replaced with fear once she realize she has been thrown into a Killing Game. She meets her ex, and is forced to watch her classmates kill each other to escape. But there's one question that's been at the back of her mind:"Will she make it to the end?"And the answer to that is...





	1. Acceptance Letter

**Author's Note:**

> So, uh, I had recently gotten into Danganronpa, and let me tell ya, this game is awesome! I'm actually at Danganronpa v3, but I decided to create this just because I really love the series and I really love making fanfiction (I write my stories on Qoutev).
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this! This will heavily follow the first game, so if you haven't played it yet, then SPOILERS!

**Hope's Peak Academy.**

 

A **government-funded school full of talented students**. They say if you go there and graduate, you'll be set for life. It was a school of **hope**. And of course, **Hope's Peak** was a perfect name. 

 

You don't need to do a lot of things in order to attend. There are only **two requirements** :

 

-You have to already attend high school.

-You have to be **the very best** at what you do. You have to be _scouted_ by the school itself.

 

And that's when Ultimate Talent comes in. 

 

My name is _**Harada Maeko,**_  And I am known as... _**The Ultimate Baker**_.

 

When I was younger, I was completely obsessed with sweets. So obsessed, I would bake myself cookies or a cake without my parents' help. My mother was surprised when she noticed a perfectly cooked cake sitting on the dining-room table. I made that cake all by myself. I didn't read any instructions, I didn't even look up any ingrediants. My mother's eyes popped out of her head when she tasted the cake, seeing that I perfectly made it for a young girl like me. Since then, I've been baking for my family until I went to middle school.

 

During a school festival in my middle school, I participated and made all of the sweets all by myself. I made lots of money that day. I was told that my sweets was so good that the students spent all of their festival money just on my baking. It wasn't until high school when I was giving the title, 'Ultimate Baker', all because of my cooking. I was pretty good with cooking normal food, but when it comes to baking, I would go all out.

 

I was even the leader of the Baking Club during my time at LL Academy, and was the reason why Sweet Cafe (owned by my parents) is one of the best Cafe in Tokyo, Japan. Had a boyfriend (keyword: had), was quite popular, and ... well... all of that was the reason why I was scouted by Hope's Peak Academy. 

 

But aside from my talent, I'm pretty much a normal, typical shy girl that get flustered just by being talked to. Despite my popularity in school, I was always too shy to make friends with those that wanted to talk to me. I would get way too flustered to even start a conversation, which caused others to speak to me first, which also turns me into a stuttering, blushing mess. 

 

If it weren't for my talent, I'd be that shy, lonely girl that's always awkward when it comes to basically communicating. 

 

With my boring looks; long dark brown hair with a lot of strands of hair being a lighter shade of brown, which made some people think I dyed my hair when I was naturally born with this. And my lavender doe-eyes which was probably the reason why I attracted some males, and even had gotten a boyfriend that only lasted for three months. I just blend in with the crowd, not being noticed unless I made myself known - which I never did.

 

But no need to bore you with my life story. 

 

 _‘There… there it is…’_ I couldn’t help but to think, looking up at the tall building in front of me in complete awe. _‘Hope’s Peak Academy… I-I can’t believe I’m here…!’_

I couldn’t stop shaking in excitement. I couldn’t believe that I, Harada Maeko, was standing in front of the tall school building known as **Hope’s Peak Academy**. I could still remember the event that happened during the weekend. On a Saturday morning, I had noticed a letter sitting on my desk when I gotten home from LL Academy, the high school I ‘used’ to attend. I remembered crying my eyes out while my parents wondered what the fuss was about.

 

* * *

 

 

_“Oh dear,” a woman, looks to be in her early thirties, called out, looking up from her book. She noticed Harada entered the door, wearing her school uniform while shouldering her backpack. The brown-haired lady smiled at her daughter. “You’ve gotten mail today.”_

_“Really?” Harada asks, pulling a string of brown hair behind her ear as she glances at her mother that was sitting comfortably on the couch in the Livingroom. “From who?”_

_Harada’s mother shrugged her shoulders, bringing her dark blue eyes back to her book. “I didn’t read who it was from. I know how you are with someone snooping around with your mail.”_

_The daughter couldn’t but to giggle, shaking her head and she removes her slackers and places them next to the door. She headed up the stairs, greeting her younger brother before entering her room. Harada lets out a sigh, setting her backpack next to the door and looking around in her room._

_“Same old, same old,” she muttered._

_Her room was neat, as always. Her bed was neatly made with large pillows and stuffed animals (a special someone gifted it to her) placed on top of the deep red comforters. In the far right, next to the bathroom, was a bookshelf, filled with normal books and cooking books that Harada loved to collect. She curled her toes, feeling the softness of her fluffy red carpet. In the middle of the room, up against the wall, was her desk, along with her computer and a few other small stuffed bears that a special guy given to her about a month ago. Even though they haven’t talked in one month and two weeks, Harada still kept the gifts he gave her. It was the only thing she has that belonged to him._

_She absentmindedly walked up to the desk, picking up a small, cute teddy bunny. It has a light shade of pink fur with flappy bunny ears and white, small wings that poked out of it’s back. It wears a cute little frilly skirt and holds a small, plastic gold wand with the end of it shaped like a heart with a small ruby inside it. Behind, sitting just above the fluffy ball shaped tail, was a key chain. I always loved this cute little stuffed bunny. Harada even gave it a name; Usami. She always, at all times, kept it on her desk. No one dared to move Usami from her position and Harada always kept dusting from gathering up in her fluffy fur. Usami… seems very special to her. She loved this gift from him, and she would cherish it until she die._

_However, as Harada sat Usami back down in her original spot right next to her computer, she noticed a white envelope sitting right on top of her keyboard._

_“Hm?” The brunette hummed out, raising an eyebrow. “An envelope… is this the mail mom is talking about?”_

_Harada reached down and gently picked up the white envelope, noting how oddly warm it feels in her hand. She begin to wonder who has sent her a letter when she noticed writing on the envelope. She brings the slip in front of her, reading the words that was written in cursive._

**_“Harado Maeko, we welcome you to Hope’s Peak Academy.”_ **

****

_…_

_What?_

_Harada stares at the envelope, lavender eyes as wide as saucers. Hope’s Peak Academy? Isn’t that… an academy that accepts students with strong potential? Harada couldn’t believe what she’s currently seeing._

_Hope’s Peak Academy… Harada heard that being in this academy meant a blessing from the gods. She felt like she was dreaming. She **had** to be! Why would the academy seek out someone as useless as her? Not wanting to wake from a dream without reading the letter, she quickly broke the seal and pulled the paper out, lavender eyes dancing across the paper as she read the words._

_“Ms. Harada Maeko,_

_You have been recognized for your incredible talent and been selected as one of seventeen outstanding youths to attend Hope's Peak Academy._

_The Hope's Peak Academy's conference seeks to gather the most outstanding students from across Japan, and further their incredible talents in a unique, individualized setting. In addition to providing hope to the public, we seek to make you the best you can be, so that you can truelove live up to your new title as the Future's Hope._

_In addition to being formally acknowledged by the Prime Minister for your incredible ability, you will find that we have arranged that every possible service which might serve to further the growth of your talent be made available to you, should you choose to accept our invitation._

_We sincerely hope you decide to accompany your Future's Hope peers and make history as one of Japan's future leaders._

_Harada Maeko, we hereby recognize you as **The Ultimate B--er.**_

_We look forward to hearing back from you as soon as possible._

_-Sincerely,_

_Hope's Peak Academy."_

_By the time Harada was finished reading, she couldn’t speak. Her throat was sore and every time she tried to utter a word, she was only able to let out a choked sob. By now, Harada realized she was crying, letting out ugly sobs and releasing big wet tears. She was uncontrollably shaking, and she could barely see the words in the letter. She couldn’t see what her Ultimate Title was, but she knows the title ever since she was in middle school. She could spell the words of her title without even thinking. But what’s more important is that she was accepted into Hope’s Peak Academy._

_“Mom! Dad!” Harada manage to sob out, stumbling over to open her door. She leans on the door sill and continues to call for her family, still sobbing in what seems to be happiness and hope._

_Her younger brother, Shinsato, emerged from his room, a worried look plastered on his face and both their mother and father quickly made their way up the stairs._

_“Huh? What’s going on?” Iwai, both Shinsato and Harada’s father asks, looking at my tear covered face in confusion before glancing at Shinsato. “Don’t tell me you have been upsetting your sister again, Sato?”_

_Shinsato gives his father a bewildered and offended look. “What?! I-I didn’t do anything this time! I swear!”_

_Suko, the mother, walked over to her crying daughter, grabbing her shoulders and gently shaking her. “Is everything alright, sweetheart?”_

_Harada, now lost the strength to talk, shakily held up her letter, shoving it in her mother’s arm, a wobbly smile on her face. “I-It’s from… *sob*… f-from…”_

_They weren’t listening to Harada’s stuttering, as the whole family begin to read the letter over Suko’s shoulder. The longer they read, the wider their eyes gotten, and by the time they were finished, Shinsato was the first to nearly body slam Harada, pulling her into a breathtaking hug. Literally._

_“Sis! Sis!” Shinsato cries out, looking up at his older sister with dark blue eyes. “You’re going to Hope’s Peak Academy! That’s so cool!”_

_“We’re so proud of you, honey!” Suko exclaims, going to Harada’s right side to pull both her and Shinsato into a hug._

_Iwai had a proud smile on his face, dark violet eyes filled with pride. “I knew my little girl would get accepted. No way would they forget about Harada.” He joins into the group hug, letting out a chuckle._

_Harada couldn’t help but to burst into tears once more. She still couldn’t believe what was happening. Was she dreaming, or was this reality? Has she really been accepted to Hope’s Peak Academy? She felt like fainting right then and there, but her mother pulled back from the hug and cupped Harada’s cheeks, smiling softly._

_“You don’t know how proud we are of you,” Suko says gently, causing Harada’s heart to nearly drop. “We are so happy for you, sweetie! We knew you had the potential for such an amazing academy to accept you! Please, you must check that boy to see if he gotten accepted-“_

_Harada’s heart dropped at that last sentence and Shinsato looked up at Suko. “Mom! Those two haven’t talked in months!”_

_“Ah, but… hm, isn’t he an Ultimate, too?” Suko asks, tilting her head in confusion._

_Iwai grumbled at the thought of the boy that he disliked, crossing his arms as he looked away. “Ultimate Basketball player, right?”_

_Shinsato pouted at him. “Nah! He’s the Ultimate-“_

_“G-Guys, please…” Harada mutters out, going back to her shy demeaner. “Um, so, I guess I’ll be going soon?”_

_Suko’s eyes brightened and she clasped her hands together. “Of course!”_

_Shinsato beams happily. “Yeah! You should get everything ready! Man, I can’t believe my big sis has been accepted to the best academy ever… Show them how good of an Ultimate you are, big sis!” His bright blue eyes looked up at his sister with pride in them. “Show them you have the best Ultimate in the whole wide world!”_

_Harada blushed, looking away as she stammers. “Oh, c-come on, Sato. My Ultimate talent i-isn’t that good…”_

_“Nonsense,” Suko immediately says, slightly scolding Harada. “Your Ultimate fits you, darling. You’ve earned that Ultimate, and you’re amazing with your skills. So, don’t say that your talent isn’t good!”_

_“M-Mom…” Harada sniffed, tears welling in her eyes once again as she looks at her family. “Everyone… t-thank you…!”_

 

* * *

 

 

My family was  _so_ proud of me. It filled me with some sense of pride. I... I still couldn't believe that I was scouted out by Hope's Peak Academy.

This building is absolutely stunning. It’s sort of intimidating the more I look at it. But… I’m so excited and scared to be here. What are the other students are like? Will they hate me? Are they friendly?

 

I shook away those thoughts and swallowed the nervous saliva that built up in my mouth. I can’t just stand here and look at this building, no matter how intimidating it looks!

 

“I…I have to do this!” Even though I tried to sound determined, my voice cracked like I was about to cry. “I can’t just sit here like an i-idiot!”

 

With an encouraging nod, I slowly made my way into the large building, being greeted with a very large ballroom-esque entrance way. I still had the acceptance letter in my hand, neatly folded. I remembered that there will be a **meeting in the main hall at 8 a.m.**  I noticed there were a clock and realize it was **7 a.m**. Oh... it seems as though I'm early. How embarrassing... I guess I was too excited about this place.

 

The sun seeped through the large windows and I suddenly felt calm. I slowly inhale and after a few seconds, I exhaled, a smile slowly creeping up to my lips.

 

“Here I am,” I said slowly, nervously gripping onto my skirt. “I’ll… um…” My brother’s words echoed inside my head-

 

_“Show them how good of an Ultimate you are, big sis! Show them you have the best Ultimate in the whole wide world!”_

“I…I’ll show them t-that I’m not going to be useless!” I said loudly, my voice bouncing against the tall walls. “I’ll… I’ll have  **hope.** ”

 

And just as I said that, something happened.

 

Suddenly, I begin to grow dizzy, the world around me spinning faster and faster. Everything warped and twisted. I felt like throwing up.

 

“Ngh…!” I grabbed onto my head as a pounding headache appears, my thoughts all jumbled up. “W-what…-“

 

And then-

 

**Everything**

 

**went**

 

**black.**

_The life I knew came to an abrupt end._

 

_And was replaced with **ultimate despair**. _


	2. To Survive (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harada finds herself in a prison-like school, and she meets the Lucky Student himself: Makoto Naegi.

Pounding.

 

My head is  _pounding._ It felt like I was getting hit over the head with a bat over and over again.

 

"Mnmn..." I manage to groan out, my throat supposedly dry and scratchy. "Ow..."

 

The moment I opened my eyes, the feeling of fear quickly enveloped me. I immediately sat up from laying on my arms, eyes widened. “Where am I…?”

 

It seemed as though I had woken up with my head resting on top of a hard-wooden desk. My body feels… heavy. It’s pretty normal for me to zonk off in the middle of some boring class, but…

 

What was I doing asleep here just now? This isn’t a classroom I’ve ever been in before. “Mmm…” I manage to cover my yawn as my eyes begin to get a little droopy, still feeling somehow sleepy. I shook away the tiredness. “What is going on…?”

 

I stood up from the desk, taking a few steps forward. I felt a little sluggish, so I almost tripped over my feet before I caught myself. I looked around in confusion. What… a strange classroom. The walls are orange with a darker orange pattern here and there. In the front of the class is the chalkboard and a podium. Surrounding me were desks and chairs, my eyes landing on a sheet of crumbled paper sitting on top of the desk I was asleep on. There was even a … line of drool I must have left there. H-how embarrassing! My brother always say that I tend to drool quite a lot when I’m asleep…

 

Blushing slightly in embarrassment, I turned my attention back on the crumbled paper, leaning down to pick it up. The hand writing was quite horrible, as though a child had written but it was still legible enough to read it. “An orientation guide…?” I held the sheet closer to my face, eyebrows raised in confusion. “It’s some kind of cheap-looking pamphlet. And there’s something handwritten on it…”

 

_“The next semester is about to start.”_

_“Starting today, this school will be your entire world.”_

“W-What?!” I squeaked out, heart pounding. My hand was slightly shaking as I stared at the paper with wide eyes. “What is this? Is this some kind of j-joke?!”

 

My entire world? What does this mean? This is starting to get _really_ weird… Why is this sitting here? Did someone put this here next to me while I slept? Why would they do that? What is going on right now?!

 

“I-I can’t start p-panicking now…” I manage to stutter out, sitting the paper back down. “I…I have to find a way out…”

 

I looked around once more, finally noticing windows to my left. Wait…

 

“Are these windows… covered?”

 

I slowly crept my way up to the windows, the fear that bubbled up in my stomach beginning to get worse. In any normal classroom, that’s where a window should be. But… it looks like some kind of metal plate has been bolted over it.

 

“I-If I were to knock on it…” I mumbled, reaching a shaking fist up to rack my knuckles on it three times.

 

_*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*_

“Ah…!” I squeaked out, jumping back in surprise. “That’s definitely metal! It’s… really thick. Solid…”

 

I shook my head, sweating. That’s not important here! Why are there metal plates over the windows? I can’t even tell if it’s day or night here…

 

I whimpered and hugged myself, swallowing nervously. I noticed something moving at the corner of my eyes and I quickly turned my head, noticing a huge surveillance camera hanging from the wall, following my every movement…

 

“W-What…?” I gawked at the camera in shock. “Why is there a surveillance camera here?” I slowly walked up to the camera, noticing it slightly moving to follow me. I stood under the camera, looking up at it. “H-Hello?” I called out.

 

… Nothing. Well, it’s a dangerous world we live in. I g-guess they have these to keep w-weirdos from just wandering in…

 

There’s also some sort of TV hanging on the wall next to the chalkboard. The school *is* funded by the national government, so I guess it’s not that weird to have TVs in here…

 

But I know for one thing:

 

Something feels… off. I wonder what it is… why do I have a feeling that something’s bad going to happen? I’m at Hope’s Peak Academy, correct? Why… Why are the windows bolted shut like this? The last time I check, from outside the school, the windows did not looked boarded up like this…

 

I looked down in thought, frowning. Everything is so confusing. I somehow fell asleep in the main hall and someone carried me here…? If… If that’s true, it must mean…

 

This has to be a classroom inside Hope’s Peak. Right…?

 

“But then if *that’s* true…” I mumbled out in thought. “That just raises more questions…” This is all really strange… With those metal plates covering the windows, it’s like it’s a prison or something… None of this make any sense!!

 

“W-Why am I stuck in here l-like this?” My voice was shaky as I spoke, my vision getting blurry as I felt my heart pumping faster and faster. “I-Is this really Hope’s Peak Academy? Why… Why is it like this?”

 

I couldn’t help but to glance back over to the bolted windows, my entire body shivering as my heart nearly burst. The feeling of claustrophobia overwhelmed me, and I choked out a sob, my head now pounding horribly.

 

“I..I have to get out of here!” I cried out, clutching my chest as I heaved. “I-I can’t stay here any longer!”

 

Frantically, I searched around the class until I saw the class door, which I was hoping it would lead out. I stumbled my way towards the door, grabbing the doorknob and swinging it open, practically throwing myself out of the classroom.

 

I fell to my knees, choking and breathing heavily as tears freely escaped my eyes, not even noticing a presence behind me. I had trouble getting up, falling back down to my knees every time I tried to stand.

 

I couldn’t stop my heart from pounding. I feel so… unsafe here. I want to leave this place. At this point, I don’t care if this is Hope’s Peak Academy, I just want to go home and cry myself to sleep!

 

“Hello…?”

 

“Hieee?!” I squealed out, nearly breaking my neck as I snapped up at the sound of a male voice.

 

In front of me, was a boy around my height (maybe a bit taller) with wide thick brown hair, a strange ahoge standing tall above his hair. His light brown eyes stared at me with worry and shock, sitting on his knees while seeming to reach out to me. “A-Are you okay?”

 

“W-Who are you?!” My voice was as high as a mouse, I was surprise that he manage to understand me through the heavy breathing I was doing.

 

“I’m Makoto Naegi,” He introduced himself before reaching a hand over to me. “Are you okay? Can you stand?”

 

“…” I didn’t reply. Instead, I burst into tears, getting much stressful than I was before.

 

Makoto’s eyes widened, unsure of what to do. “D-Did I do something wrong?”

 

“W-why am I here?” I cried out, sobbing as I continued to clutch my chest. “Why are the windows bolted shut? Where are we? Are we trapped here?!”

 

I didn’t want to deal with this anymore. I wanted to go home. If I knew Hope’s Peak Academy was like, I should’ve rejected that letter!

 

As I sat there, crying my eyes out, I felt rub my back. Makoto was rubbing his hand soothingly against my back, his eyes softening as he looked at me with worry.

 

“It’s okay,” He said in a soft voice, causing me to stop sobbing as I listened to him. “I’m sure there’s a misunderstanding. How about we find out what’s happening, okay?”

 

“…” I sniffed, wiping away the tears as I looked up at him, nodding slowly. “O…Okay…”

 

His soft voice and eyes, along with his soothing rubbing about my back, calmed me down and I instantly felt safe around him, even though we just met. I had a gut feeling that I can trust this guy, and 99% of the time, I follow my gut.

 

Makoto nodded, standing up before holding a hand out to me. “Can you stand?”

 

I nodded, grabbing onto his hand and he pulled me up…

 

Towards his chest. He was slightly strong when pulling me up, and in surprise, I ended up being pulled straight towards his chest. Both of our breaths hitched in surprise, I stood there in shock. He smelled of cinnamon, for some odd reason, and it immediately caused me to panic once my mind processed that I had my face shoved into his chest.

 

I jumped up, almost tripping over my feet as I was leaning back. “Wahh-!”

 

“Ah – Gotcha!” I felt Makoto’s hand grip my wrist as he pulled me back to my feet.

 

“I-I’m so sorry!!” I screamed out, feeling my face heat up as I looked away from him, tears welling up in embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to s-shove my f-face into your c-chest!!”

 

“H-Huh?” He stared at me in confusion before a light blush spread across his cheeks. “N-no, that’s fine! No need to apologize!”

 

I whimpered, avoiding his eyes as I looked down, my face still red. Great, my first impression of this guy is super awkward. First, I have a breakdown in front of him, and now I ended up shoving my dumb face into his chest! He must be weirded out right now…

 

“Let’s go to the main hall, okay?” Makoto’s voice broke me out of my thoughts, and I blushed brighter, nodding while still avoiding eye contact.

 

We both made our way down the hall, not knowing we’ll soon meet **despair.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, sorry for the cringy last line 
> 
> Anyway, here's my Quotev profile: https://www.quotev.com/BellaTheHalfSaiyan
> 
> Check out my stories there!


	3. To Survive: Introductions (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harada Maeko meets some pretty weird students.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically Harada tells others her ultimate over and over.

It was complete silence as Makoto and I walked down what seems to be an endless hallway. I was trailing behind him, too nervous to start a conversation, so I chose to suffer with the awkward silence. I felt too embarrassed to speak, not after what happened not too long ago.

 

It was my third time tripping over my own feet when Makoto suddenly spoke, “Oh, uh, I never gotten your name…” He mumbled, which caused me to jump slightly in surprise. He slowed his walking so that he was walking beside me, which only made me even more nervous. “So, what’s your name?”

 

“A-Ah, um…” I couldn’t stop the stutter as I begin to think of words to spill out. All of a sudden, I had forgotten my own name and I had trouble forming words.

 

Makoto must’ve noticed my troubled look and gave me a slightly worried look, which made everything worse, actually. “Ah, are you okay? Are you still feeling bad? We can find another class and we can sit down so you can-“

 

“N-No, no!” I stammer out, my face growing red as I looked away. “I-It’s just that I’m kinda n-nervous. Um, anyway,” I finally manage to look up at Makoto, locking my eyes with his and my face felt even hotter. “M-My name is Harada Maeko. I-I’m the **Ultimate Baker**.”

 

“Ultimate Baker, huh?” Makoto mutters, giving me a soft smile as he looked over my clothes. “I’ve should’ve known by your outfit.” He chuckles sheepishly.

 

My eyes widen slightly as I looked down, not realizing the outfit I was wearing until now. It’s the usual school uniform (white blouse with a brown sailor skirt along with brown knee-high socks and black shoe slackers, minus the usual thin brown coat I would wear to school) I wore at my old academy, with the symbol of LL Academy clipped on my left breast pocket. But over the school uniform is a dark purple and black apron, my name stitched neatly in cursive in the middle of the apron. And that’s when I also noticed my good luck charm, Usami the tiny stuffed rabbit, sitting neatly inside my apron pocket. As soon as I laid my eyes on it, I smiled softly and picked it up, all of my nervousness going away.

 

“Oh, I guess I took Usami with me…” I mumbled, softly rubbing my thumb through the soft fur.

 

“It’s that a stuffed rabbit?” Makoto asks curiously.

 

I nodded, holding it up for him to get a closer look. “U-Um, yes. She was given to me by a s-special person. S-She’s like a… good luck charm to me. I-I’m so glad I brought her with m-me!”

 

I held Usami close to me, a bright smile on my face as I looked up at Makoto. “When I’m with her, it seems as though all the bad things go away… H-He said that i-if I ever feel scared, t-then I should always hug Usami a-and think of him, b-because he’ll p-protect me…”

 

Makoto tilted his head in curiosity. “He?”

 

“My boyfriend.”

 

“You have a boyfriend?”

 

“No,” I shook my head, looking down as I remembered how he broken up with me. I’ll never forget the way he nonchalantly decided to end our relationship, and how I stayed in my room all day and cried. “Not anymore…”

 

“…” Makoto didn’t reply and we continued walking, the awkward silence returning. I bit my lip, looking away once I realized that I made things awkward once more.

 

Then a thought crossed my mind and I shyly tugged onto Makoto’s jacket, causing him to look down at me. “Hm?”

 

I couldn’t help but to look away, clutching Usami while blushing. “U-Um… what’s your Ultimate, Makoto?”

 

“Oh, mine?” Makoto chuckles and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Well, I guess I’m **The Ultimate Lucky Student**.”

 

“Ultimate Lucky Student?” I repeated, confused.

 

“Well, the main reason as to why I was accepted into Hope’s Peak Academy was because I was really lucky during a lottery,” Makoto explained, a slight shade of red spreading across his cheeks. “Every year, the academy does a lottery and the winner will be accepted into the academy. I was the ‘chosen one’, so I became the Ultimate Lucky Student. Although, I’m not so lucky right now…”

 

“B-Because of the situation we’re in r-right now?”

 

Makoto nodded, sighing. “Yeah.”

 

“Ah…” I muttered, nodding in understanding. “I hope we’ll get out of here…”

 

“I’m sure there’s a reason as to why everything is happening like this,” said the boy, “Well, at least I hope so.”

 

I hummed and looked at our surroundings, the purple ominous walls making me a little uneasy. The more we walked down the hall, the more the wall’s colors changed from a dark purple to a light green color. Makoto and I noticed a grey double door to our left and decided to head there.

 

“I-I have a weird f-feeling about this…” I whimpered, standing behind Makoto in nervousness. “Should we really walk through here?”

 

“It doesn’t hurt to try, right?” Makoto said in a reassuring tone, a nervous smile on his face. “I think this door leads to the main hall. We have to go through here. It’s now or never…”

 

I gulped, my heart pounding so loudly, I was surprise Makoto doesn’t take notice. I absentmindedly grabbed onto the back of his jacket, watching as he slowly grabbed the handles and slowly opened the door.

 

When he fully opened the doors, I noticed _people_ there.

 

The letter _did_ say there would be 14 other students here along with me and Makoto (which makes 16). They must’ve been here this whole time…

 

“Whoa, hey! Two other kids?” One student says as all eyes fall on us.

 

I nervously fiddled with my thumbs as I scanned the students, looking for _someone._ When my eyes stopped on something red, I immediately hid even more behind Makoto, suddenly getting more nervous.

 

 _‘He’s here…!’_ I frantically thought, shaking a little. _’I…I shouldn’t be surprised. I-I mean, he always talked about the academy during the time we were dating. It’s no surprise that the academy scouted him out too… This is gonna be really weird…’_

Aside from nervousness and fear, I was quite glad to see him again. Ever since we broke up, I tried to avoid him as much as possible during school. I missed his personality that always made me jump out of my shell, and that bright grin of his that always charmed me. I certainly missed him when we separated.

 

“Huh?” Makoto looked at all of the students in surprise. “Then you guys are all…?”

 

“Yeah… we’re all new here. Today’s supposed to be our first day of class.” Another student answered, but I wasn’t paying attention. I was still too busy looking at my ex-boyfriend, who never noticed me yet (probably because I’m basically hiding behind Makoto).

 

“So, counting him, that makes fifteen. Seems like a good cut-off point, but I wonder if this is everyone…”

 

“Huh? Hey, there’s someone behind him!”

 

I was brought out of my thoughts when Makoto looked over his shoulders at me, nodding and moving away, which caused me to widen my eyes as everyone looked at me. I quickly looked down, avoiding all of their eye contacts as I blushed brightly. I always get so nervous whenever all of the attention turns to me.

 

“Okay… then that makes sixteen of us. That’s all?”

 

“I guess so…”

 

Standing before me were the **“Ultimate Students”** that had been hand-picked by the school. Just like me. Shaking away my nervousness, I looked around at everyone who’d gathered here, taking in their faces one at a time. When my eyes locked to pale blue eyes, I immediately blushed and looked away.

 

Aside from that… Makoto was the first to speak up. “Um… how’s it going?” He awkwardly says, “My name’s Makoto Naegi and this is Harada Maeko.” He gestured towards me and then himself. “Sorry we’re late. A bunch of stuff happened, and then all of a sudden I was just… asleep.”

 

“Y-yeah…” I manage to stammer out, “I was w-woken up in some weird c-classroom…”

 

A tall male with darkened skin and … weird brown dreads sticking out in every which way gasped. “Whoa, you guys too?”

 

A very pale girl with long black hair in twin drill-tails and red eyes placed a hand on her chin, looking away in thought. “Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser…”

 

“So strange…” A rather large male with brown hair that has a pointy tip and wears round small glasses says in a slightly high voice, chewing his nails nervously. He slightly resembles a cat. “I declare beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is a strange situation indeed!”

 

Makoto tiled his head in confusion. “Um… what are you talking about? I honestly have no idea what’s going on right now.”

 

Suddenly, a male with spiky dark hair and red eyes (and some unbelievable large eyebrows) shouted, “Just a moment! There’s something else we must address!”

 

Everyone looked at him as he marched up to both me and Makoto, pointing an accusing finger at us. “Makoto!” And he glanced over at me with hot red eyes, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin. “And you too, Harada! Your tardiness is unacceptable! Surely you both were aware the meeting was to start at 8a.m. sharp! To be late on your first day is unspeakable! I must report you two, and you both must accept your due punishments!”

 

“Hieee?!” I squealed out, shaking like a leaf as I cling to Makoto, surprising him. “A-A-A p-punishment?! I-I’m sorry, w-we didn’t mean t-to be late…!!”

 

“H-Hey, no need to be scared…” Makoto tries to reassure me, but I shook my head, looking down as I felt my heart beat faster. J-Jeez, that guy is kinda scary…

 

A girl with strawberry blonde hair pulled up in twin pigtails and violet eyes spoke up, giving the scary guy a glare. “What’s your problem? It’s not like they *wanted* to be late. They didn’t have any control over it.”

 

“Everyone just calm down!” Another girl with chocolate brown hair and bright blue eyes exclaimed, looking somehow energetic. “Listen, why don’t we all go around and introduce ourselves?”

 

“The hell?!” grumbles an intimidating guy with quite a weird hairstyle that seems to be curled up while it leans over his forehead. It reminded me of how a biker would style his hair in the 80’s. “Now’s no time for friggin’ introductions!”

 

The black-haired, paled girl spoke up in some sort of french accent that I had just noticed. “Maybe, but it may be good to at least find out who we all are before digging into the bigger problems here. I mean, how are we supposed to talk to each other if we do not know each other’s names?”

 

A girl at just about my height with fluffy light brown hair and almond colored eyes nodded. “That’s a good point…”

 

Another girl with long dark blue hair and blue eyes looked up in thought, a finger placed in her chin. “Okay, so let’s get introductions out of the way, then we can move on to whatever else. Sound good?”

 

I immediately recognize this girl, as she is famous all across Japan. That’s **Sayaka Maizono, The Ultimate Pop Sensation**. To say the least, I was a big fan of her, as most of the music I listened to was her songs. Even my brother has a crush on her. I couldn’t believe I’m in the same room as her!

 

As I stood there, staring at Sayaka in awe, Makoto nods and looked over at me. “Alright, I’ll talk to the five over there. Go introduce yourself to the others, alright?”

 

I froze at the spot, face paled as I stared at Makoto with a shocked face. I-Introduce myself? H-How can I do that? Apparently, moments ago, I completely forgot how to say my own name when introducing to Makoto. How can I do that with 14 other students?!

 

Makoto didn’t seem to notice the troubled look over my face as he headed towards Sayaka. My face went read, my breathing quickly as I looked over at the other students, who was talking amongst themselves. I can’t just walk up to them and talk to them! I-I’m not very good with starting a conversation!

 

As I stood there, wondering what my life has come to, someone made their way up to me. It took them a moment to get my attention, although it was someone I was _not_ ready to talk to.

 

“Harada? I can’t believe you’re here,” **Leon Kuwata** , **The Ultimate Baseball Star**  says, genuinely surprised as he looks down at me. He then smiles and chuckles. “Well, of course. You’re the Ultimate Baker; I shouldn’t be so surprise.”

 

Leon Kuwata, a tall male with vibrant spiky red hair and pale blue eyes. After he decided he wanted to become the  **Ultimate Musician** , he had decided to grow out and dye his hair, along with having piercings on his right ear, his tongue ~~(didn't know he had one until... we kinda kissed one day)~~ and his labret. He even grew out a goatee. Despite wanting to be into music, Leon can't really play the electric guitar correctly, once nearly bursting my eardrums when he tried to show me a few months ago.

 

The Leon Kuwata I once dated was standing right in front of me, looking as happy as he can be. Like there weren't awkwardness between us, even though I could notice and it was currently suffocating me.

 

“L-Leon…” I muttered, looking away from him. “I … um… I knew you’d b-be here…” I quickly hid my face before shaking arms, face red. “I-I can’t believe t-that you’re here. I…I…”

 

I couldn’t even say I _missed_ him. How would he react? I mean, there had to be a reason why he broke up with me. He was a playboy, after all (it was the reason why he decided to become the Ultimate Baseball Star; to impress girls). I was the girl he dated the longest, as he had always dated a different girl every few days. Everyone was quite surprise that we were still going on strong for nearly four months. Maybe he didn’t feel the same feelings as I have now. Even though we parted ways, I still miss him and still have those butterfly feelings in my stomach when I get near him. And right now, the butterflies are much worse than before.

 

Tears welled up in my eyes as I turned my back to him, too afraid to face him. I swallowed a sob and begin to breath in and out slowly, trying to regain my composure. “U-um…”

 

I couldn’t speak to right now. I feel like if I continue being in his presence, I’ll just break down in front of him, which is something I don’t want to do.

 

Before he can say anything else, I immediately scurried away, going towards the closest person that I saw. It was the scary biker guy, who noticed me and gave me a hard glare.

 

I flinched and looked away, knowing it was a mistake approaching him. I wiped away the tears that was threatening to fall and the guy’s glare immediately soften as an apologetic look appeared on his face.

 

“Ah, shit, I didn’t mean to-“ The guy looks away, an embarrassed light pink blushed appeared on his cheeks as he scratched the back of his neck. “Damn, look at me, making some girl cry before she even talked to me…”

 

I looked up at him in confusion before I realized that he thought those tears was because of him. I quickly shook my head. “U-Uh, n-no it’s n-not your-“

 

He interrupts me and bashfully holds out a hand that was five times bigger than mines. “Uh, names **Mondo Owada** , **Ultimate Biker** **Gang Leader**. Nice to meetcha.”

 

I reached up and grabbed his hand, which covered mine entirely. If he could, he can crush all of the bones in my fingers, which made me anxious. “U-Um… My names is Harada Maeko. I-I’m the Ultimate Baker…”

 

He had a surprisingly strong grip as he nearly shook my entire body when we both shook hands. We both let go and it became an awkward silence as I stared at my feet.

 

“Listen!” Mondo’s voice caused me to jump five feet in the air as he raised his voice, looking down at me with fiery eyes. “If that fucking guy messes with you, you talk to me, got it?!”

 

“H-H-Huh?! Wha…?” I looked up at him with fear in my eyes.

 

He pointed behind me, and I looked to see he was talking about Leon, who was too busy talking to Makoto to notice. “I saw that scared look in your eyes. If he fucks with you, you tell me and I’ll beat the shit outta him!!”

 

His loud and intimidating voice caused a few students to look over at us, and I nearly burst into tears as Mondo looks at me with scary determination.

 

“Hieee! P-Please don’t hurt me, p-please!” I screamed out, stepping back while holding my hands out in weak defense. No matter what, this guy scares me way much more than the other guy with the bushy eyebrows!

 

“Hey! Don’t scare her like that!” The chocolate haired girl says, quickly making her way up to us and she stood protectively in front of me. “You’re making her cry!”

 

Mondo glared at her before realizing what she said. He looks over at me and scowled at himself. “S-Shit, I didn’t mean to do that…”

 

The girl ignored him and spun around, giving me a bright smile. “Hiya! What’s your name? I’m **Aoi Asahina** , the **Ultimate Swimming Pro**! But you can call me Hina!”

 

I looked away, blushing as I tried to smile back. “I-I’m Harada Maeko, the Ultimate Baker…”

 

“Aw, you’re so adorable…” Hina gushes, causing me to blush even redder. “Wait, did you say Ultimate Baker?! Can you make donuts? I loooove donuts…”

                                                                            

I giggled at the cat-like look on her face, daydreaming about donuts. “Um, y-yes I can! I can make all kinds of sweets…”

 

“Aw, sweet!” Hina cheers, giving me a happy look. I couldn’t help but to notice her… uh… _chest_ bouncing a bit as she moves. “Can you make me some donuts one day?”

 

“Um, s-sure!” I said, nodding. “I-I don’t mind.”

 

After bidding her goodbye, I walked into a random direction, going towards the girl with the fluffy light brown hair. She notices me and blushed lightly, and I couldn’t help but to do that too as we stood in front of each other. It seems as though she was quite shy, too, because neither of us can start up a conversation.

 

We just kinda stared at the floor in awkward silence for a few minutes.

 

“U-um hello…” Her soft voice causes me to jump in surprise and she immediately flinches. “O-Oh! I’m so sorry to scare you!”

 

“N-No, it’s fine…” I mumbled, looking away.

 

“Um…” The girl spoke once more. “M-My name is **Chihiro Fujisaki** , **The Ultimate Programmer**.”

 

“I-I’m Harada Maeko, the Ultimate Baker…”

 

We stood in silence once more, my face getting redder and redder as the seconds pass by before I abruptly look up, causing Chihiro to flinch. “U-um it was nice to m-meet you! I… I have to meet other s-students…”

 

I quickly walked away from her, towards the pale, black-haired girl who was standing by herself. When she notice me, she smiles and elegantly place her fingers under her chin. “Why hello there, little one! My name is **Celestia Ludenberg,** the **Ultimate Gambler.** What is your name, little one?”

 

I didn’t mind that she called me ‘little one’. I guess it’s because I am sort of little for my age. I told her my name and she hums, giving me a closed eye smile.

 

“Hmhmhm, how cute,” She says, giggling slightly. “You do not mind if I request you to bake me sweets in the near future?”

 

“U-um, no, I don’t mind,” I reply. “I love baking, after all.”

 

“Wonderful!” She then opens her deep red eyes. “Now run along, little one. You must have other students to introduce, no?”

 

“Um, r-right…” I said, nodding before walking away in a random direction. I ended up standing in front of the dreads guy, who gave me a wide grin.

 

“Hey! You’re that girl from before,” He greets, waving. “You’re a shy one, aren’t you?”

 

I looked away, my face heating up for the thousandth time today. “U-um, yeah…”

 

“Hey, no need to be shy. I’m won’t hurt you! Anyway, I’m **Yasuhiro Hagakura** , the **Ultimate Clairvoyant** , but you can just call me Hiro. What’s your name?”

 

“I’m Harada Maeko, Ultimate Baker…”

 

“Ah, so you can cook, huh?” He asks in thought, placing a hand to his chin. “So, you can cook all kinds of things, huh?”

 

“N-not really…” I said, shaking my head. “When I say by Ultimate Baker, I-I mean by *baking* them. I-I’m mostly good at baking food; like cake or cookies. I-I’m pretty good with cooking normal food, but not enough to become the **Ultimate Cook**. My cousin have already t-taken that title already, a-anyway…”

 

“Oh, I see!” Hiro exclaims. “You’ll be a good wife someday with skills like that!”

 

“A w-w-wife?!” I stammer, looking up at him with wide eyes. We’re not even old enough to get married!

 

“Yeah, you can be the housewife, y’know? A housewife sounds good, actually…”

 

He was too much in his fantasy to notice me slowly walking away from him, my face feeling as though it was on fire. He’s pretty weird…

 

My eyes caught a very tall male with blonde hair and fierce blue eyes before white-framed glasses. H-He’s actually kinda cute… but I notice some sort of cold aura near him, I was kinda afraid to go near him. I was about to walk in a different direction when his blue eyes locked into mine.

 

I froze at the spot. His blue eyes were _cold_ and if looks could kill, I would’ve certainly dropped dead right at the spot. I felt small under his gaze, and I could tell from his calculating eyes is that he’s silently judging me. After a few seconds, he sighs and crosses his arms, giving me a look of pure _disgust_.

 

“Are you just going to stand there looking like a dead fish, or are you going to leave me alone?” He asks in a disgusted tone. “The sight of you is disturbing my peace.”

 

“U-U-Um… I-I…” I couldn’t even form words as I stood in front of him, shivering as I still felt his cold eyes stare daggers through my body. “I-I… u-uh…”

 

“Let’s just get this over with so you can leave me alone,” He sighs once again and pushes the glasses up against his nose. “ **Byakuya Togami, Ultimate Affluent Progeny**.”

 

“Oh, u-um, I’m Harada-“

 

“I don’t care.” Byakuya glares at me before turning his back to me. “Now go away.”

 

“O-Okay…”

 

I don’t know why, but I had some sort of a strong urge to bow in front of him and follow his orders. He some sort of a weird aura where I should completely listen to what he say and just do it. I swallowed down the urge and stiffly walked away, face hurting from cringing so hard.

 

I headed towards the girl wearing large glasses, her dark brown hair pulled in long twin braids. She kept shifting from feet to feet, glancing at everyone before noticing me, freezing in the spot.

 

“U-um, hello…” I greeted, trying to give her a smile, but it felt more like an uncomfortable grimace.

 

“W-What do you w-want?” The girl asks, glaring slightly at me before looking away. “Y-You’re distracting m-me…”

 

“I-I’m sorry!” I quickly apologized, “I-I didn’t mean t-to distract you. I j-just want to i-introduce myself…”

 

When she didn’t answer, I clutched onto Usami and some of the nervousness went away. “I’m Harada Maeko, Ultimate Baker.”

 

“…” She seemed to be hesitating for a moment before sighing and speaking up. “I-It's not like y-you'll remember my n-name but it's  **Toko Fukawa, Ultimate Writing Prodigy.** ”

 

As soon as she told me her name, my eyes nearly popped out of my head. I recognize her name! She’s the author that wrote _‘So lingers the Ocean’_ , one of my favorite books she written. It's such a romantic book, her masterpiece, a hit with women that fishermen quickly shot to the top of every "Hottest Men" poll! I can’t believe I’m standing right in front of one of my favorite writers! She possess such amazing skills, it was no wonder Hope’s Peak Academy scouted her out!

 

She noticed my staring and glares at me, pointing an accusing finger. “W-Why are you l-looking at me l-like you just f-found something d-disgusting under your shoe?!”

 

“H-huh?!” I gasped, panicking. “I-I wasn’t s-staring at you l-like that!”

 

“Y-You think I’m a d-disgusting w-whore, right?” She angrily asks me, sweating nervously while biting her nails. “That I-I’m so ugly t-to look at right now!”

 

“No, no, p-please don’t think t-that!” I frantically told her, shaking slightly. “I-It’s just t-that I can’t believe I’ve met my favorite author…”

 

“Well, I don-“ She stops in the middle of her sentence to stare at me with wide eyes, her glasses nearly falling off her face. “W-What did you just s-say?”

 

“Y-you’re my favorite author,” I repeated, blushing. “I’ve r-read your book, _‘So Lingers the Ocean’_ , and it’s my favorite of all t-time! I really love your b-books! You really are t-talented!”

 

She stares at me with wide eyes for so long that I begin to get uncomfortable, looking away while clutching my apron in nervousness.

 

And then she suddenly turned bright red and immediately ran away from me, causing me to stare at her retreating form (and by retreating form, she just hid in the corner of the room, shaking and sweating profusely). D-Did I say something wrong?

 

“T…Toko?” I called out, taking a nervous step towards her. “A-Are you okay? Did I say something w-wrong?”

 

“It seems as though she is not used to compliments,” A masculine yet feminine voice said behind, causing me to whirl around in surprise.

 

In front of me was a _very_ giant and muscular girl with long wavy silver hair and sharp gray eyes. She had a large scar going across her face and her schoolgirl outfit was ripped around the shoulders. Her huge muscles made me super nervous as it seems as though she could easily crush my small body with just one hand.

 

“ **Sakura Ogami, Ultimate Martial Artist**.” She introduces herself, crossing her arms and giving me a polite nod. “You are?”

 

“U-U-Um…” I was too nervous to speak. This girl really intimidate me. It looks like even _bullets_ could bounce off of her bulky chest. It felt like if I say one wrong word, she’ll obliterate me!

 

She must’ve noticed my nervous look as she has a slight smile on her face. “Yes, it’s understandable that you’ll be intimidated by my form. But I assure you, I won’t do anything to hurt you.”

 

“Ah, I-I’m sorry to have offend you…” I mumbled, looking down in embarrassment. “I’ve never saw s-someone as b-bulky as you… Do you, um, t-train a lot…?”

 

She nods. “As a martial artist, yes, I train at every moment of my life. Since I was born, I’ve been fighting.”

 

“T-That’s incredible!” I exclaimed, looking at her bulky form in surprise. “E-Ever since you were born…? You must be s-super strong…”

 

“Not the strongest human alive, as someone has taken that title,” She says, and I wanted to ask her who was this person she was referring to before she looks at me with those intimidating gray eyes. “Anyway, would you like to tell me your name and title?”

 

“Ah, I-I’m Harada Maeko, Ultimate Baker.”

 

“Ultimate Baker… I’ve heard of you.” Sakura says, causing me to gasp.

 

“Y-You heard of me?”

 

“Yes, you and your family own a café, right?”

 

I nodded frantically. “Y-Yes, we do! It’s called Sweet Café. Have you h-heard of it?”

 

“Of course,” She nods, a small smile on her face. “I greatly enjoy the cakes and tea there. I assume you made them?”

 

I nodded, clasping my hands together in front of me. “Mm-hm. I’ve made them all from scratch. I-I guess you can say I have m-my own secret ingredient t-to make them taste good…”

 

After chatting with Sakura for few more minutes, I bid her goodbye and walked away, smiling lightly. Despite her huge figure, Sakura seems like a nice girl. She’s aloof most of time, but she was very polite talking to me.

 

I made my way up to Makoto, who was conversing with the large cat-like male. When Makoto notices me, he smiles. “Hey, I see you’ve introduced yourself to some of them. Right?”

 

“Mm-hmm,” I hummed, nodding before looking over at the large male. “Um, I’m-“

 

“Harada Maeko, Ultimate Baker,” The male interrupts me, examining me while pushing his small round glasses up the bridge of his comically large nose. “Mmm-hmm, I know you, of course. Most talented baker in Japan and would also make a great housewife!”

 

“N-Not you too…” I mumbled, blushing brightly while looking down at my feet. Makoto has a questioning look on his face.

 

“You know her?”

 

“Of course!” He eagerly answers, a smug look on his face. “I have you as one of the most famous characters in my famous comic!”

 

“What?” Both me and Makoto gives him a bewildered look.

 

“ **Hifumi Yamada, Ultimate Fanfic Creator**!” The large male introduces. “Although, you may call me by my nickname “The Alpha and the Omega!” I don’t mind.” The smug look reappears on his face. “My female character, Mako, is based on the Ultimate Baker! Because of her good cooking, beautiful looks and brave nature, she’s popular amongst the readers of my comic!”

 

“Y…You made a character b-b-based on me…?” I was horrified, face purple as I stared at Hifumi with wide eyes.

 

“By the way, how much do you know about the world of 2D art?” Hifumi ignores my horrified look as he asks both me and Makoto a question.

 

“World of…2D?” Makoto asks, confused.

 

“Well, in that world, I am well known and supremely well regarded as the Ultimate Fanfic Creator. I once sold 10,000 copies of one of my fan comics at a school festival,” Hifumi explains. “Mako Watashi was the reason why it was so popular! The event has passed into legend…” His glasses light up, covering his beady eyes as he placed his hands on his chubby hips. “Some of them didn’t get it, of course, saying I’d “tainted” the event. How stupid can you be?!”

 

“Selling 10,000 copies like that is p-pretty remarkable…” I muttered, “E-Even if the m-main character is b-based on me…”

 

My words fell on deaf ears as Hifumi sighed. “The words of such idiots mean nothing to me. I am like Van Gogh – utterly unappreciated in my time. I am a soldier, serving night and day to destroy all mindless preconceptions about fan fiction. I’m sure if you were to observe my work, Mister Naegi and Miss Maeko, you both would comprehend its greatness immediately. For my work is filled with deepest meaning…”

 

“What… what kind of meaning?” Makoto gingerly ask.

                                                                                                                                                                

Hifumi points at Makoto, giving him a sly look. “It’s about embracing our basest urges…”

 

I was too afraid to ask him by what he meant, looking at Makoto, who had a sheepish look on his face like he doesn’t want to comprehend Hifumi’s greatness. I gave him an apologetic smile and walked away, going up to the next person to introduce myself.

 

The blonde pigtailed girl noticed me before I spoken, giving me a wide smile. “Hey, name’s **Junko Enoshima, Ultimate Fashionista.** ‘Sup?”

 

“J-Junko?” I immediately recognized her name, thinking back to the magazines my mom would read, Junko’s face plastered on almost every page. But as I looked closely at the Junko in front of me, I had realized something. “You… you looks s-so different…”

 

“Oh, you mean the magazines, and the cover photos?” Junko asks before scoffing and waving her head. “Those? It’s nothing but photoshop.”

 

“P-Photoshop?”

 

She nods, chuckling a bit. “Yep. Edited to hell and back. It’s a wonder how Photoshop can make everything look so different and no one would notice a thing!”

 

“S-So they aren’t real…” Imagining the look on my mom’s face when she realized her favorite model had been photoshopped was a scary thought.

 

Junko sweats. “Come on, don’t act so surprised! You’re gonna make me all depressed. It’s totally normal these days to photoshop the crap out of cover photos. If you’re surprised by that, you’d be totally blown away by a certain dangerous little diva of ours…” She then giggles. “They make the eyes and junk super big and tweak the skin so it looks all ceramic and porcelain.”

 

“Oh,” I muttered, slightly dejected. But then I immediately looked up at Junko, cheeks reddening. “B-But you still look really beautiful in person!”

 

Junko blinks once at my statement before a faint blush appears on her cheeks and she gives me her wide wolfish grin. “Aw, thanks! You’re a sweetheart.” She then tilts her head, giving me a questioning look. “Hey, you never told me your name.”

 

“O-Oh!” I give her an apologetic smile, looking away. “M-My name is-“

 

“Haha, just kidding~!” Junko interrupts in a sing song voice, although it was slightly off key. “I already know you, Harada Maeko, Ultimate Baker. You and your family owns a Café in Tokyo. My sis and I absolutely *love* your pastries. Man, no wonder you’re the Ultimate Baker. You’re pretty good at this stuff!”

 

I felt really flattered that she and her sister (that I never knew she had) love my baking but something about her voice felt… off. It had some sort of a bitter tone to it that made me a bit uncomfortable. To be honest, ever since I approached her, Junko’s entire *presence* feels completely off. Dangerous, maybe? I don’t know what it is that I’m currently feeling about her, but something tells me I should probably keep a distance away from her.

 

“T-Thanks…” I muttered, now feeling completely uncomfortable being near her. “I…I have to go meet the others now.”

 

I could tell she noticed my discomfort as she blinked at me with curiosity but doesn’t say anything else as I walked away from her. A few feet away from her is a girl a few inches taller than me with long lavender hair and purple eyes that seemed distant and cold.

 

“Um… Hello,” I said once I approached her.

 

The girls looks at me before glancing away, not saying a word. I begin to grow nervous as an awkward silence surrounds us. I fidget at the spot, looking down while sweating.

 

It’s clear she doesn’t want to talk, so I shouldn’t *force* her to tell me her name. “U-Um, sorry for bothering you…”

 

As I turned to walk away, the girl crosses her arms and sighs. “ **Kyoko Kirigiri**.”

 

“H-Huh?” I turned back to look at her in confusion.

 

“…” She was quiet for a moment before turning her cold eyes back at me. “My name is… Kyoko Kirigiri.”

 

“Oh,” I looked away, tugging at my apron nervously. “I’m Harada Maeko, U-Ultimate Baker. Do… you have an Ultimate talent?”

 

She was quiet for a moment before looking away. “Why should I tell you?”

 

My sweating got worse and so was my nervousness, gulping as I shook my head. “I-I’m sorry! Y-You don’t have to t-tell me-“

 

“No, I *don’t* have to tell you.” Kyoko interrupts my stuttering, still looking away from me. “So, I’m not going to.”

 

“S-Sorry…” I mumbled, staring down at my feet. “Sorry for b-bothering you…”

 

Kyoko stayed quiet as I walked away, nearly tripping over my feet as I quickly stepped away from her. She seems to be the most aloof one in this group, perhaps more aloof than Sakura. I’m now curious about her Ultimate. I wonder what it is? Is it something that she’s too embarrassed to say? Is it something she have to keep as a secret?

 

Well… it’s none of my business. She clearly doesn’t want to reveal her Ultimate, and it’s not like I’m going to force her. I-I don’t even have the willpower t-to do such a t-thing…

 

Next up was Sayaka Maizono, the girl that I was really nervous to meet. I still couldn’t believe I’m standing in the same room as the girl I kind of idolize! If I ever tell Shinsato, he’ll be really jealous of me.

 

“Oh, hello there!” Sayaka noticed me before I even said anything. “I’m **Sayaka Maizono,** the **Ultimate Pop Sensation**! But I already know *you* know that already.”

 

“H-Huh?!” I squeaked out, my cheeks burning in embarrassment. “H-How did you know?”

 

“I’m a psychic.” Sayaka says in a completely serious tone, her face blank as she stares at me. “I also know your name. You’re Harada Maeko, Ultimate Baker. You also own a very famous Café with your parents called Sweet Café in Tokyo. It’s the most famous café in Japan!”

 

I stared at her, completely flabbergasted. How did she know all of that? Is she really a psychic?

 

Before I could confirm it myself, Sayaka giggles, breaking her serious façade as she smiles at me. “Just kidding! I’m not a psychic; I just have really good intuition. Plus, I always order from your Café almost every single day!”

 

“You… you do?”

 

Sayaka eagerly nods, a dreamy look on her face. “A friend of mine from my band used to always buy those chocolate filled crepes with strawberry waffle cake every single day after our rehearsal. The squishy taste of the crepes, how the gooey chocolate fills my mouth each time I take a bite out of it…” She places her hands on her cheeks, mouth slightly open as she looks away in the distance. “The crunchiness from the strawberry waffle cake always makes my mouth watery! It’s like I’m in heaven!”

 

I was quite speechless, face as red as a tomato. I was never used to compliments, even as the Ultimate Baker. I always get so flustered whenever people compliment my baking. But I’m more speechless that Sayaka Maizono, the girl I’m an absolute fan of, *loves* my pastries. I’m even more surprised that I never noticed one of Sayaka’s band member visiting my Café every day. Maybe because I’m always in the back of the Café, cooking, to notice any of the girls.

 

“Plus,” Sayaka continues, breaking from her wonderland, giving me a beautiful smile. “You’re really easy to read, Harada-chan. I can tell you’re happy to meet me. And I feel the same way! It’s quite refreshing to come face-to-face with my favorite baker!”

 

“T-T-Thank you…!” I said, mesmerized by her dazzling smile. “I-It’s an honor to m-meet you, Sayaka!”

 

Sayaka giggles, bringing a hand up to her cheek as she stares at me. “Awe, you’re so adorable. You don’t mind if you bake me something later, right? You know, the chocolate filled crepes and strawberry waffle cakes?”

 

I immediately nodded, not trying to escape the trance she put me in. “O-Of course! I-I love baking, after all…”

 

“Great!” Sayaka claps her hands in excitement before stopping, glancing at me with curious blue eyes. “Oh, I have a question to ask you. Do you happen to know Makoto?”

 

“Makoto?” I was confused for a moment, before remembering who she was referring to. “O-Oh, you mean Makoto Naegi? U-Um, not really… I met him after waking up, and that’s when we both walked to the main hall together. H-He’s a really nice g-guy…”

 

I felt my cheeks burning when I remembered falling straight to his chest when he helped me up. I could somehow smell the weird cinnamon scent he had even though he wasn’t near me…

 

“Ah, I asked because I saw the way you hid behind him when you two first walked in.” Sayaka says, giggling at my red face. “You’re a shy one, aren’t you? That makes you even more adorable! Isn’t that right, Makoto? Isn’t she cute?”

 

I didn’t even notice Makoto next to me until she called his name. I jumped when I looked at him, and he lets out a chuckle, scratching his cheek sheepishly.

 

“Hieee…” I whimpered, sweating slightly as I felt my face burning. “I-I-I’m not so used t-to c-compliments… I g-get so f-flustered when people call me c-cute…”

 

I felt some sort of weird warmth welled up in my chest when Sayaka complimented me. I wondered why but I ignored the feeling, shivering slightly as the two continued talking.

 

“So, we talked to everyone, right?” Makoto asked us both.

 

“I t-think so…” I looked around the room, seeing everyone I talked to, until I noticed the eyebrows guy in the white outfit, a bad shiver going up my spine. “Y-Yeah, I met everyone…” I didn’t want to go near the eyebrows guy. His loud voice and slightly intimidating presence made me slightly scared of him. But not as bad as Byakuya or Mondo, of course.

 

I scanned the students once more, going over their introductions I had with them in my head. Mondo was quite loud and scary, Chihiro seems shy like me, Hina is very energetic, Kyoko is quiet and secretive, Byakuya seems very… difficult to talk to, Junko had this weird vibe that told me she doesn’t have any good intentions, Sakura is quite aloof but polite, and so on and so forth.

 

Even though they’re all “ **ultimate** ,” they each have their own individual sort of…um…s-something…

 

Byakuya was the first to speak. “Okay, time to get down to business.” He starts, crossing his arms and giving everyone a cold stare. “This is no time to stand around making friends like a bunch of dull-eyes baboons.”

 

I knew now that things will get serious. And… weird, I-I think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh, yeah. Leon's her ex-boyfriend. Only reason why I decided to have that is because I absolutely fell in love with Leon as soon as I glanced at him. I love his design, basically everything about him and honestly, super mad that he... y'know, commit not alive. 
> 
> Anyway, you'll find out why Leon broke off the relationship soon.
> 
> Also, I hope some of you know what Harada means by "Ultimate Cook". Yes, she's Teruteru distant cousin. Lol.


	4. To Survive: Welcome to despair (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harada soon realizes that accepting that letter was the worst mistake of her life.

“Oh, that’s true,” Makoto nods in agreement. “I think someone said something about a bigger problem or something? What was that about?”

 

Sayaka looks down, a hand up to her face as she speaks. “Well, you see…” She looks over at Makoto. “Makoto, you said a bunch of stuff happened and then you were “ **just asleep** ,” right? Well… the same is true for all of us.”

 

“R-Really?!” I squawked, surprised. “I-I thought it j-just me and Makoto that happened to fall asleep…”

 

Leon looks away, scratching his head as he sighs. “Just after each of us got to the main hall, we lost consciousness. And when we came to, we were somewhere here in the school! That’s what happened to you two, right?”

 

Makoto and I shared surprised looks, Makoto stuttering as he speaks. “B-But that’s just… weird! That every one of us would get knocked out like that…”

 

I didn’t think *everyone* would just… fall asleep like that. I-I thought it was just some sort of a weird coincidence that Makoto and I had fallen asleep. If anything, I thought I was the only to have fallen asleep. When Makoto announced that he had also did the same thing, it didn’t really bother me because I thought nothing weird was about it. But now that everyone else did the same thing… Something definitely felt off and it made me nervous.

 

“Exactly!” Mondo’s loud voice caused me to shake slightly at his intimidating figure. “That’s why we’re all freakin’ out!”

 

The eyebrows guy holds a fist up to his chin in thought. “And that’s not the only thing. You saw where all the windows in the classes and hallways were, right?”

 

As soon as he said that, the image of the bolted windows entered my mind and I shivered as the feeling of claustrophobia slowly came back.

 

“But instead of normal glass windows, it was a bunch of big metal plates! What’s that about?!”

 

“Plus, all my stuff’s missing! Even my cellphone…” Junko says, irritated.

 

Chihiro nods, sweating slightly as she speaks. “Yeah, y-you’re right. I haven’t seen my PDA anywhere, either…”

 

“And then there’s the main hall here.” Eyebrows continues speaking. “The front exit is completely blocked by some giant metal hatch. But there wasn’t anything like that when I first got here…!” Then his loud voice caused me to jump slightly. “What the heck?! What’s it doing there?!”

 

“Maybe we got caught up in some kinda, like, you know… crime or something?” Junko asks, sweating as a slightly panic look appears on her face.

 

“What, like… a kidnapping?” Leon asks, that look on his face I recognize. Whenever he’s nervous, he always have that awkward smile on his face, the right corner of his mouth stretching farther. “You think maybe someone grabbed us and hauled us off and we’re not actually at school?”

 

“Come on, don’t think like that. Cheer up!” Hiro says, holding a hand up to his chin. “I bet this is all just part of the school’s orientation procedure.” Hiro nods, smiling as he places his fist to his chest. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s it! So, I’m just gonna take it easy for a little bit.”

 

Chihiro lets out a sigh of relief before a smile appears on her face. “Oh… so you think they wanted to do something to surprise us?”

 

“Huh. Well if that’s all it is, it’s nap time for me.” Leon says, a hand behind his head as he sheepishly grins. “I was up way too late last night, so I could use a little shuteye.”

 

I could feel everyone’s tension evaporating and I couldn’t help but to smile a little. Then, if it’s just a little surprise the school wants to do, there’s no reason to be scared then. But just before I could let all the fear go… it began.

 

**_*Ding dong, bing bong*_ **

****

The sound of a bell cause everyone to look around in confusion, me stiffening up as a monitor near the metal hatch turns on.

 

A weirdly shaped shadow appears on the monitor as a particularly high voice catches our attention. “ **Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mike check, one two! This is a test of the school broadcast system!** ”

 

“W-What is this…?” I questioned, now getting worried again.

 

“Am I on? Can everyone hear me? Okay, well then…!”

 

As everyone mutter in confusion, the person continues speaking. Although, the voice seemed totally out of place. It was so playful, so completely unconcerned… An unnerving dread overcame me.

 

“Ahh, to all incoming students! I would like to begin the entrance ceremony at… right now! Please make your way to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience. That’s all. I’ll be waiting!”

 

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Confused and slightly worried. I was shivering slightly, that person’s voice causing me to get even more nervous and worried by the second. I cling to the closest person to me, which happened to be Makoto (who’s probably tired of me randomly grabbing onto him), sweating profusely. The voice just feels so… *off*. It’s like… someone laughing cheerfully when they see a dead body. I’m scared to even meet this person.

 

Junko was the first to speak after a few minutes of silence, her face slightly blue. “What. The. Hell was that just now?”

 

Byakuya scoffed, turning around. “Well then, if you’ll excuse me…” He walks away, opening the double doors and closing it behind him.

 

“H-Hey! What, you’re gonna take off just like that?!” Junko exclaims.

 

Hiro chuckles. “Ohh yeah, now I get it! This whole thing was just to get us all pumped for the entrance ceremony!” He grins widely, crossing his arms. “Man, thank god it was all a joke. I’d be totally freaked if this was real! Alright, guess I’ll head out, too. Wonder what they got planned for us next…” He then follows Byakuya out the door.

 

“Damn, I was totally looking forward to that nap, too.” Leon says, irritated. “Why’s they have to go and kill the mood?” And just like that, he also follows Hiro out the door.

 

Chihiro gasps, following after Leon. “W-Wait for me! I wanna go with you!”

 

As Celeste and Toko filed out of the room, I stayed glued to where I was, my arms still wrapped tightly around Makoto’s arm. He also stood where he was, somehow nervous and unsure. Sayaka and Junko also looked nervous and worried. Kyoko still had a cold look on her face, seemingly not worried about anything at all. Sakura had her eyes closed, arms crossed as though she’s in deep thought.

 

“I-I’m not so sure w-we should do this,” I told Makoto, looking up at him. “I-I don’t know a-about you guys, but that voice *really* freaked me out… it’s a little too cheery. It makes m-me uneasy…”

 

“I agree…” Makoto mutters, in deep thought. “I feel uneasy too… I can’t get it out of my mind.”

 

Sayaka looks down in thought. “This… this doesn’t seem right…”

 

“Yeah, that announcement was totally weird.” Junko agrees.

 

Kyoko crossed her arms. “Maybe, but just staying put doesn’t mean we’ll be safe. Besides,” She gives each of us an emotionless look. “Aren’t you guys just a little bit curious to find out what’s going on around here?”

 

“Y-yeah…” I mumbled, nodding. “The windows, the large metal hatch, a-all of these r-raises a lot of questions…”

 

Sakura nods. “If we do not move forward, we learn nothing. The only choice is to push ahead.”

 

 _‘S-Sakura’s right,’_ I thought. _‘We can’t just… stand here all day. Sooner or later, that person will probably come after us… or we might get some sort of punishment.’_ I shivered slightly at the thought of a punishment. _‘B-But still… I’m *really* nervous. I can’t get this feeling of dread away from me. Something’s bad about to happen and I’m scared of what it’s going to be… But we don’t have a choice. We *have* to go…’_

 

“They said to go to the gym, right?” Makoto asks, a nervous tremble can be heard in his voice.

 

Everyone else nodded and I heard Sayaka sigh next to me. “Something weird *is* going on here, right? It’s not just me?” She looks at me, still worried.

 

I nodded. “I-I also feel like something’s *wrong* going on… B-But we have to go. We… we don’t h-have a choice…”

 

Makoto nods. “Yeah… let’s go.”

 

We all left the main hall, walking together down the ominous green hallway that made me nauseous. I still clung to Makoto, the only person I actually trust right now. No matter what, I couldn’t stop this feeling of dread and fear, it was stuck to me. Whatever’s about to happen will definitely end up bad.

 

“You’re shaking.” Makoto comments, breaking me out of my thoughts. “Everything’s going to be alright. Maybe this is some sort of a joke and they just want to surprise us…” He didn’t sound very convincing of himself, which actually made me more worried.

 

“S-Still… I’m scared,” I admit, whimpering. “I have a gut f-feeling that something *bad* is going on. I c-can’t ignore that feeling, either. It’s suffocating me...”

 

“A-Ah, well…” Makoto sighs, sweating slightly as he flusters. “The only choice we have is to face the problem, right? There’s nothing else we can do.”

 

“You’re r-right…” I muttered, hesitantly letting go of his arm. “S-Sorry for clinging onto you like that…”

 

Makoto sheepishly laughs as he waves his hand dismissively. “N-No, it’s fine. I mean, if you need a shoulder to cry on, I don’t mind if you come to me.”

 

“B-but we just met…” I said, which only caused Makoto flush bright red in embarrassment. “B-but I kinda trust you, M-Makoto…”

 

Makoto gave me a confused and surprised look, hazel eyes wide. “H-Huh?”

 

I looked away from him, face heating up. “I-I have this gut feeling t-that I should trust you. I always follow my gut.” Then I forced myself to look up at him, straight into his hazel eyes. “You have this aura that *makes* me trust you.” Then I panicked, quickly shaking my head. “A-Ah, I sound super weird right now, aren’t I?”

 

“No, that’s not it…” Makoto shakes his head, a small smile on his face as he slightly blushes. “It’s just… that’s the first time someone said that to me…”

 

Makoto never gotten to finish his sentence as we all made it towards another set of double doors. Right above the door was a sign that said “ **GYM** ” in bold, large letters. Sakura pushed open the doors and as we all entered through the doors, I looked around the room. It didn’t look like a gym at all, but judging by another set of double doors across from the room, I’m guessing that door leads to the gym, and this seems to be some sort of a lobby or something.

 

There were a glass wall in the far back with a lot of medals behind it. There was even a golden katana on display.

 

“God, I had no idea this Hope’s Peak Academy place was gonna be such a pain in my balls.” Mondo complains, frowning deeply. “It really ain’t that much different from the time I spend in Juvie. Hell, this place is even worse!”

 

“And why isn’t there anyone here?” Sayaka asks. “Walking through the halls, I didn’t see a single person…”

 

“N-Now that you think about it…” I muttered, realizing what Sayaka was talking about. “Yeah, t-there wasn’t anyone else here. A-Are we the only ones here?”

 

“Isn’t that like, seriously not good?” Junko questioned, sweating nervously.

 

Eyebrows also looked nervous. “Th-they’re just trying to spook us! They’ll take those metal plates down later, I’m sure of it…”

 

“W-What kind of person t-think putting metal plates on the w-windows is a prank…?” I meekly asks, fidgeting in place.

 

“I don’t know but it’s fucked up!” Mondo angrily yells, causing me to jump from his loud voice as he growls to himself. “This is a waste of my goddamn time…”

 

Sakura crosses her arms. “All we can do now is hope for the best and prepare for the worse. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

 

Mondo speaks again, growling angrily. “Well hell, it ain’t like I’m scared or nothin’. Let’s get this over with!” Then he rushes over towards the double doors that possibly leads to the gym. “Hey! Where’s whoever called us here?!”

 

Eyebrows marches after him. “Mondo, stop! No running!”

 

Sakura also heads towards the door. “I too shall go.”

 

“H-Hey, wait!” Hifumi yells out, comically crying as he hurries after the three. “Don’t leave me here all alone!”

 

Junko, Kyoko, Sayaka and Makoto stays in the room, all of them except for Kyoko looks uneased and nervous.

 

Especially me. I tried to confident, but everyone could clearly see I was trembling in my shoes. That overwhelming feeling was starting to consume me. B-But I can’t just sit here scared and all! If I just stand here, this suffocating feeling will not go away!

 

“I-I’ll go too!” I tried to announce proudly, but they could hear the tremble in my voice. “Um, s-see you guys in the gym…”

 

I headed towards the double doors, pushing them open. Indeed, the doors lead to a rather large gym, the rest of the students scattered around the gym and looking around in confusion.

 

Leon and Chihiro stood near the door that I entered.

 

“Oh, h-hey…” Chihiro hesitantly greets, giving me a nervous smile. “Harada, wasn’t it?”

 

“Y-Yeah, that’s me,” I muttered, looking away for a moment before glancing back at Chihiro. “I…I hope everything turns out okay.”

 

“It’s all just a prank, right?” Leon speaks up, causing me flush as he looks at me. “I don’t think we shouldn’t be worried about some prank, yeah?”

 

“B-B-But…” I easily became nervous around Leon, my stuttering much worse than before. “I-I have this *gut* feeling that s-something’s w-wrong…”

 

Leon’s face instantly contorted into fear, starting to sweat profusely. “Oh damn, a gut feeling?”

 

“Gut feeling?” Chihiro questioned, confused.

 

Leon nervously smiled. “G-Gut feeling, huh? When Harada says she has a gut feeling, it means something will definitely happen. Her gut’s always right most of the time. S-Shit, man…”

 

“You know each other?” Chihiro asks, even more confused.

 

I quickly looked away, my back facing the two as I blushed while Leon laughs and runs a hand through his hair. “Yeah, we’ve known each other for a while now, right Harada?”

 

“R-R-R-Right…” I was able to speak in an abnormal squeaky voice, my whole-body red as Leon laughs once more.

 

“Man, she’s always so shy,” I jumped when I felt his hands grip my shoulders. “Cute, isn’t she? Damn, I really missed you, Harada.”

 

I nearly choked on my saliva when he pulled me closed to him, wrapping an arm around my waist. It felt almost like… we were dating, like how it used to be all of the time. I panicked, eyes wide as his cologne suffocated me. I felt somehow claustrophobic, yet I wanted to stay in his presence like this. I missed this *so* much, but…

 

“L-L-Let me go.” My voice was small and trembling as I weakly placed my hands on his chest, trying my best to push away from him but I felt somehow too weak to do anything. “P-Please…”

 

“Huh? You okay, Harada?” Leon looks genuinely worried, eyebrows furrowed. “Shit, you gonna throw up or something?”

 

I definitely felt nauseous. I wanted to throw up, but my stomach was quite empty (did I not eat breakfast this morning?) and I couldn’t feel anything coming up my throat. My knees felt wobbly, and I couldn’t do anything else but to hesitantly place my forehead on his chest, letting out a shaking sigh as I can feel myself sweating profusely. Being around his presence caused me to nearly have a panic attack.

 

“H-Harada?” Chihiro’s voice sounded worried. “Are you okay?”

 

“Man, she must be sick or somethin’.” Leon mutters, rubbing my back soothingly. “Didn’t get any shuteye at all, huh? I totally feel the same way! Once this stuff is over with, I’m gonna take a nap.”

 

“T-This is quite tiring.” Chihiro agrees, sighing. “All of this is making me so tired…”

 

“Wanna nap with me, Hara?” Leon mummers to me, “You know, like we used to do?”

 

The memories of Leon and I napping in my mom’s furnished patio and the nickname he used to call me caused a bad shiver to tickle it’s way up my spine and I suddenly gained enough strength to quickly push away from him, blushing as red as a tomato while looking away from him.

 

“N-No…” I whispered to myself, standing close to Chihiro, who looked worried and confused as she looks at me. “I-I’m… I’m fine…”

 

I’m not going to get used to this. I’m not going to get used to being around my ex-boyfriend – who acts like nothing happened between us – during my entirety at this school. To say that I really miss him is an overstatement and getting over him is unlikely. Surely, he’s just being his playboy flirty self and probably gotten over me (with how nonchalantly he broken up with me), but I can’t help but to get nervous and anxious around him. He made me remember all of the things we did as a couple and it honestly makes me slightly irritated that he’s making me feel these things about him without even trying. It’s best if I avoid him. I know I can’t avoid him during the entirety of my school year, but it’s worth a shot.

 

As a habit that I have gained throughout my high school years, I begin to nervously stroke my hair, looking anywhere else but Leon’s confused eyes. When everyone else entered the gym, I stood closely next to Makoto, who was looking around at the gym.

 

“Oh. It really does look like an entrance ceremony…” He mutters, staring at something ahead. I followed his look and realized there were chairs in rows and podiums on the stage. There was even the symbol of the school in the back. The symbol of **Hope**.

 

Hiro chuckles. “See? Told ya! It’s **totally normal** entrance ceremony stuff.”

 

“Yeah… he’s right,” I muttered to myself, but it was loud enough for Makoto to hear. “But in a way, t-that just emphasized h-how completely … ***not* normal** all of us were.”

 

Makoto nods in agreement, there were still a slightly anxious look on his face. He was about to reply when all of a sudden, the very same voice that was on the monitor brought all of us out of our thoughts.

 

“Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everyone here? Good! Then let’s get things rolling!”

 

“W-who said that?” I whimpered, looking around as I shivered at that voice that made me uneasy. Just as my gaze landed on the stage, I saw something black and white jumped up from behind the largest podium. When it landed on the podium, that was when I was able to get a good look at this person.

 

Er – well…

 

It wasn’t a person at all. It was just a large stuffed bear that was black on it’s left side and white on the other. On the black side, it had a large grin stretched across the left side on its face and a strange glowing red eye that made me even more afraid. The white side was normal, like a normal stuffed bear, without the evil grin.

 

I was confused. Who actually talked? It wasn’t this bear, right? It’s just a stuffed bear… there’s no way this thing can talk!

 

“Huh? A… teddy bear?” Chihiro gasps out, just as confused as me.

 

“I’m not a teddy bear!” The bear ***speaks*** in what seemed to be an irritated tone. It was the very same voice that cause me to grow anxious. I started sweating nervously, now realizing that at this point, I’m now currently having a morbid dream where I’ve gotten kidnapped and a creepy teddy bear is speaking to me. “I… am… Monokuma! And I am this school’s headmaster!”

 

It was unbelievably the strangest thing I’d ever seen. There was no way this teddy bear was the headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy – there’s no way this thing can talk *period*! It’s so… incomprehensible! At this point, I have now accepted that I was, indeed, having a nightmare.

 

“Nice to meet you all!” The teddy bear – Monokuma – happily says, it’s bright voice and such a carefree attitude being completely out of place. And all that anxiety I’d been carrying with me suddenly transformed into outright fear. I begin to shake like a leaf, my heart dropping straight down to my stomach as I cling to Makoto for the fifth time today. Even Makoto looked scared as he stares at Monokuma with wide brown eyes.

 

“Wh-? Waaaaah!” Hifumi shrieks out in astonishment. “That teddy bear can talk!”

 

“Calm down! I’m sure there’s just a speaker inside it.” Eyebrows tries to calm Hifumi down, but he was also sweating nervously.

 

“I told you already, I’m not a teddy bear…” Monokuma says in an irritated tone. He growls angrily while yelling, “I’m Monokuma! And I’m your headmaster!”

 

Hifumi was freaking out even more when he noticed the bear moving, his hair sticking in every which way comically. Mondo gives him an angry glare. “Seriously man, calm down! It’s prolly just a remote-control toy or somethin’.”

 

Monokuma somehow looked disappointed, letting out a sad sigh as he looks down disappointedly. “How dare you compare me to a child’s plaything! You’ve cut me deep. Deeper than the Mariana Trench…” He looks back up, placing his paws on his wide stomach. “My remote-control system is so complex, even the folks at NASA can’t recreate or even comprehend it!” Then he looked angry once more, “Ah, but don’t make me say stuff that might destroy NASA’s dreams. I just couldn’t BEAR that!”

 

His changing moods almost gave me whiplash as I stared at the bear in confusion, fear, and shock. “I-I… I don’t k-know what he’s t-talking about…”

 

“”Bear” that? Really? You are… unfortunate.” Celeste comments, shaking her head.

 

Monokuma ignored her comment and speaks once again. “Now then, moving on! We really must hurry and get started… Everyone, stand attention and bow!” He bows deeply before standing back straight. “And… good morning!”

 

Eyebrows was the only one who followed Monokuma, bowing so deep I thought he was going to slam his head into the floor, before standing back up straight and did a salute. “Good morning!!!”

 

“Y-You don’t have to s-say it back…” Toko mutters.

 

“Now then, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony!” Monokuma says, “First, let’s talk a bit about what your school life here will be like. Now, ah, make no mistake – you few students, so full of potential, represent the **hope of the world**. And to protect such splendid hope…” He positioned his body until only the black side on him was visible, his red eye causing me to shiver badly. “…you will all live a communal life together **solely within the confines of this school**. Everyone will live in harmony together, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school.”

 

“Huh…?” Makoto speaks, his voice cracking as he gawks at Monokuma.

 

“Ah, now then… regarding the end date for this communal life…” Monokuma continues, letting out a sigh before speaking once more. “There isn’t one!” The evil grin on his left side seem to have widened. “In other words, you’ll be here **until the day you die**! Such is the school life you’ve been assigned.”

 

“Wh-What did he just say? Until the day we d-die…?” Toko stutters, shocked.

 

I clung onto Makoto tighter, trying to control my shaking as I slowly try to process what was currently going on right now.

 

“Oh, but fear not! We have quite an abundant budget, so you won’t lack for all the common conveniences.” Monokuma continues.

 

“That’s the least of our worries right now!” Sayaka exclaims.

 

“Yeah, what the hell? You’re saying I have to live here forever?” Junko agrees, sweating nervously. “You’re screwing with us, right?”

 

Monokuma growls angrily. “I am not screwing with you! I am no liar, of that you can be 100% sure. Ah, and just for your information… you’re completely cut off from the outside world. So, you don’t have to worry about that dirty dirty land beyond these walls ever again!”

 

“Cut off…?” Makoto speaks, confused before realization flashed in his eyes. “So, all those metal plates all over the school… They’re there to keep us trapped in here?”

 

Monokuma nods. “That’s exactly what they’re there for. No matter how much you may yell and scream for help… help will not come. So, with all of that in mind, feel free to live out your life here with reckless abandon!”

 

“T-Trapped… the windows… are k-keeping us in?” I could barely talk at this moment, the fear, claustrophobia and unnerve overcoming me and I felt like fainting at this moment.

 

“Come on, what the hell is this?” Leon questions, that nervous grin stretching across his face as he sweats. “I don’t care if the school or whoever else is behind it all, this is just a really bad joke.”

 

“Yeah! Cut this shit out! It isn’t funny anymore!” Mondo angrily agrees.

 

“You keep saying this is a lie, or a joke. A bunch of skeptics, all of you.” Monokuma says before letting out a rather cute giggle despite his ominous appearance. “But I guess you can’t help it, huh? You all grew up in an age where you’re taught to doubt your neighbor… Well, you’ll have plenty of time to find out whether or not what I say is true. And when that time comes, you’ll see with your own eyeballs that I speak the undeniable truth.”

 

“Having to live here forever would be… quite the problem.” Celeste sighs out, having quite a calm look on her face.

 

“Come, now. What’s the matter with all of you?” Monokuma questions, tilting his head innocently. “You decided on your own free will to attend Hope’s Peak Academy, didn’t you? And now, before the entrance ceremony is even finished, you’ve already decided you want to leave?” His innocent giggle caused me to get even more anxious. “Oh, but you know… I guess I did forget to mention one thing. There *is* one way for you to leave the school…”

 

“O-One way…? Really?” I asked, eyes wide in surprise.

 

“Yep!” Monokuma chirps in response. “As headmaster, I’ve crafted a **special clause** for those of you who would like to leave! I call it… the **Graduation Clause**! Now, let me tell you about this fun little rule. As I mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle. And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone would be allowed to leave the school. That, my students, is the **Graduation Clause**!”

 

“What do you mean by “ **disrupt the harmony** ”?” Byakuya asks, seemingly annoyed.

 

“Puhuhu… well, you know…” Monokuma giggles, a teasing tone in his voice. “If one person were to **murder** another.”

 

“M-Murder?!” I choked out, my heart dropping to my stomach. I couldn’t believe the words coming out of this bear’s mouth. Murder? What is he saying?

 

“Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, how you do it doesn’t matter.” Monokuma explains. “ **You must kill someone if you want to leave**. It’s as simple as that. The rest is up to you. Give it your all to achieve the best outcome in the worst way possible.”

 

I felt a chill down my spine, my blood running cold. I couldn’t handle this anymore. I couldn’t just… _do_ what this bear want us to do. I don’t want to… hurt anyone! There’s no way I can, and I’m not going to do it even if that’s the only way to leave! I swallowed a lump in my throat, tears welling up in my eyes as I clung to Makoto, who stood as still as a wall.

 

At all of our shocked faces, Monokuma giggles innocently. “Puhuhu~ I bet *that* got your brain juices flowing! Beats the heck out of a human catching a salmon, huh? Like I said before, you guys are the hope of the world. But you know…” His voice lowers darkly. “Taking that **hope** and seeing it get murdered created a darkened shadow of **despair**.” His loud laugh caused me to swallow nervously. It’s like he was laughing at a joke a good friend told him. “And I just find that so… darn… exciting!”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?!” Leon demands nervously. “To kill each is… it’s…!”

 

Monokuma tilts his head curiously. “To kill each other is to kill each other. I’m sure there’s a dictionary here somewhere if you need it.”

 

“We know what it means, that’s not the problem!” Hina yells, glaring at the bear angrily. “Why do we have to kill each other!?”

 

“I-I can’t do that!” I exclaimed, shaking my head vigorously. “I don’t w-want to k-kill anyone!” At this point, I was crying. I was beginning to regret ever accepting that letter. I didn’t know that coming here was the worst mistake I’ve ever made in my life.

 

“Yeah!” Hifumi shouts. “Stop blabbering on with all this nonsense! Just let us go home already!”

 

“…Blabbering?” Monokuma questions, somehow confused. His red eye begin to glow brightly. “Blabbering, blabbering, what do you mean blabbering!? Stop blabbering on about blabbering on!” He growls. “You guys just don’t get it, do you? “Let us go, let us go!” You keep on saying the same thing over and over and over and over…!” He sighs frustratedly. “Listen. From this moment on, this school is your home, your life, your world. Got it? And you can kill as much as you wanna kill! So, go ahead, go on a kill-kill-killing spree!”

 

“Alright, come on…” Hiro speaks up, chuckling as he shakes his head, his weird hair swaying. “How long you gonna keep this up?”

 

“Eh?”

 

“You got us, okay? You scared the hell out of us. So, you can go ahead and reveal the trick now.”

 

I was hoping what Hiro is saying was true but with the confused look on Monokuma’s face caused that hope to get crushed. What he saying was the absolute truth. The truth that I wish wasn’t the _truth_.

 

“Reveal the trick…?”

 

“Yeah, cuz I mean…” Hiro places a hand on his chin thoughtfully. “Y’know, this is all some kinda trick and all, right? So uh, like…”

 

He wasn’t able to finish his sentence when Mondo walks up. “Dude, shut the hell up and get outta my way.” He growls out, not even waiting for Hiro to move, shoving him out of the way while stomping over to Monokuma, fists clenched tightly. His voice rumbles like thunder, and I was beginning to get even more afraid of him than before. “Listen up, asshole! This shit’s gone way too far! What the hell kinda joke IS this?!”

 

Monokuma continues to be confused. “Joke? What, you mean like your hair?”

 

Mondo seemed to be like a ticking bomb. His entire face turned red with anger as he roars. “FFFUUUUUUUUU-!”

 

Everything was in slow motion. Mondo was moving and before I could even register what was happening, there was a sudden BOOM!

 

The sudden boom of the floorboards as he kicked off and launched himself into the air. He flew at Monokuma, fast and straight as a bullet, locking onto his target. I gasped, nearly choking when he grabbed Monokuma by the neck, holding him up in the air. Monokuma flailed comically.

 

“Gotcha, you little piece of shit!” Mondo shouted. “I dunno if you’re a toy or a stuffed animal or whatever the hell! Either way, I’m gonna rip you to fuckin’ shreds!”

 

“Waah!” Monokuma cries out, trying to escape Mondo’s death grip. “Violence against the headmaster is in violation of school regulations!”

 

“Shut the fuck up! Let me outta here, or I swear to Christ…”

 

Monokuma stopped struggling and was deathly quiet for a moment. There was a sudden beeping noise that caused me to stiffen up in nervousness.

 

“What, no smartass comeback this time!?” Mondo taunts.

 

Monokuma’s quietness and the beeping noise quite worried me for a second and I had a feeling that something’s bad was about to happen. The noise angered Mondo even more.

 

“Stop that goddamn beeping and SAY SOMETHING!”

 

Kyoko’s voice was clear and loud as she spoke. “Watch out! Get rid of it!”

 

“Huh…?” Mondo’s angered turned into confusion as he glances at Monokuma.

 

“I-It’s going to blow up!” I exclaimed urgently, pulling Makoto and backing both of us up. He was still in shock, nearly tripping over his feet when I pulled him back.

 

“Hurry up and throw it!” Kyoko demands.

 

It seemed as though her ferocity stunned him, as he quickly did as he was told without a word. He threw Monokuma as we all back up. And as soon as he did…!

 

Monokuma exploded.

 

“The hell!?” Mondo’s loud voice was heard over the explosion, his eyes wide in shock. “Th-That sure as shit wasn’t a joke. It blew the hell up…”

 

There was a painful ringing in my ears and the smell of gunpowder caused me to cough. I didn’t expect an explosion to be like this. It looked so normal in the movies, but in real life… I’ve never thought it would be like this.

 

“But you know…” Chihiro speaks up after the explosion. “This means that the teddy bear’s been destroyed, right?”

 

“I-Is it okay?” I meekly ask, a wave of relief washing over me. But before I could get too happy, that same voice caused me to gasp.

 

“I told you, I’m not a teddy bear! I’m Monokuma!”

 

All of a sudden, Monokuma – the very same bear we thought _exploded_ – came out of nowhere. Like out of thin air. I choked in surprise.

 

“T-There’s another one…?” Leon asks, face pale.

 

Mondo growls. “You son of a bitch! You seriously tried to kill me just now!”

 

Monokuma held up his paw angrily, red eye glowing brightly. “Well, yes. I was serious about trying to kill you. You did violate one of the school regulations, after all. I’ll let you off with a warning this time, but you’d better be careful from now on. Any naughty boy or girl who violates my rules won’t get off with just a little swat on the butt.”

 

“H-Hey… so does this mean there’s like, a bunch more of you around somewhere?” Junko questions, face slightly blue.

 

“Monokumas have been placed all throughout the school, yes.” Monokuma replies. “Plus, don’t forget the surveillance cameras installed everywhere. And if you’re caught breaking any rules, well… you all just saw what happened, right?” He giggles once again. “Puhuhu… and I won’t be so forgiving with my punishment next time. So, don’t let it happen again!”

 

“Th-That’s not even punishment. That’s just… wrong…” Hina stutters.

 

“Now then, lastly… To commemorate your joyous entry into our school, I have a little something for you…” He pulls out what seem to be a tablet out of seemingly nowhere. Now seeing that Monokuma had suddenly reappeared unharmed after self-destructing, I decided to give up questioning the weird things that has happened. “This is out official student handbook! Pretty cool, huh? As you can see, it’s fully digital. So naturally, we call it…” He holds up the handbook over his head proudly. “The **e-Handbook**!”

 

Everyone was quiet as Monokuma looks around, expecting everyone to clap or cheer at the name of some strange tablet. Disappointed that no one praised him for the name, he clears his throat and continues. “Ahem. Yes, well, moving on… This handbook is absolutely vital to a healthy school life, so don’t lose it!” He passes everyone a tablet, and I held mine delicately in my hands, not wanting to drop something that clearly looks extremely expensive. “When you start it up, it will display your name. Always make sure you have the right one!

 

“Now, this is not your everyday notebook, it has so many more uses than that! Also, it’s completely waterproof. Splash it, wash it, drown it, it’ll keep on ticking! And thanks to its space-age design, it can withstand an impact force of up to ten tons. Very resistant! It contains all of our **school regulations** , so make sure you review them thoroughly!” He then gives all of us warning looks. “You’ll hear me say this a lot, but any violation of school regulations will not be tolerated. Rules restrict, yes but they also protect. Society, for example, would be utter chaos without laws. The same thing applies here! Which is why it’s crucial we have strict punishments in place for violators.”

 

“S-strict punishments…?” I repeated, whimpering at the thought of any kind of punishment I’ll get if I break a rule. I never purposely break any rules, but I was nonetheless still worried about it.

 

“Okay, well… that brings our entrance ceremony to a close!” Monokuma concludes. “Please enjoy your abundantly dreary school life! And… see ya!” Then, he disappeared in thin air. He left just as quick as he came, leaving us all in a state of shock.

 

Everyone was quiet for a moment, still processing what just happened. Eyebrows was the first to speak up. “So, guys… How would you define what we just experienced?”

 

Leon looked completely confused. “How…? Why…? I don’t understand any of this…”

 

Toko gripped her hair, her glasses nearly falling as she shivers. “We have to l-live here forever…? Or… k-kill? Wh-what…? What just happened?!”

 

I gripped my e-Handbook tightly, wiping away any tears that threatened to fall as the events that just happened replayed in my mind. We’re… _forced_ to stay here, locked away from the outside world, no way to get out… but the only way to get out of here is to… **murder** someone. That’s… that’s hard to believe! Why… why do we have to hurt someone - k-kill someone just to escape this place?! I… I don’t want to do that! I don’t want to hurt anyone, whether they’re bad or not! It’s… it’s _wrong!_

“Everyone, we need to just calm down.” Kyoko’s voice brought me out of my thoughts, the only person in this gym with a calm demeaner. “First, let’s just take a second to summarize everything we just heard.” She places a hand on her chin in thought. “Based on what Monokuma said, we essentially have **two choices**. Choice number one is that we each stay here, living “communal life” together until the day we die. And the other choice is…”

 

“If we want to get out of here alive, we have to kill someone. Right?” Celeste finishes Kyoko’s sentence.

 

“But… killing someone… that’s…” Chihiro looks as though she was about to cry and I couldn’t blame her.

 

“I-It’s wrong!” I exclaimed, pushing the e-Handbook to my chest as I shake my head. “W-Why do we have to m-murder an innocent person just to escape? T-That’s just… cruel!”

 

“We were abducted out of nowhere and stuffed into this place meant to look like a school.” Hifumi speaks up, biting his nails nervously. “And now we’re supposed to start killing each other? This is…” He panics, face slightly blue. “This is… this is just…! What IS this!?”

 

“A lie is what it is. All these ridiculous things we’ve heard… this all has to be fake!” Eyebrows exclaims, sweating nervously.

 

“Right now, it doesn’t really matter if it’s real or fake.” Byakuya states, crossing his arms. “What matter is…” He gives us all calculating gazes. “Is there anyone here who’s seriously considering all this…?”

 

No one responded that question. All of us looked around, nervous, worried, scared. I clung to my e-Handbook, looking up at Makoto, who was silently looking around. Everyone looked cautious, giving each other suspicious looks. I could taste the hostility. It scared me. It was at this moment that I realized…

 

We can’t trust each other. The true terror hidden within the rules Monokuma had laid out. **You must kill someone if you want to leave.**

 

There is bound to be someone that will murder another to escape and it _scared_ me. I’ve meet all of these students, and even if there’s some that seemed quite intimidating to be near, none of these students deserved to die. And the fact that we’re forced into some sort of a killing spree angered and scared me. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know who to trust. I didn’t know how to protect myself.

 

Everyone was suspicious of each other. I could tell they were all wondering, “ **Is somebody going to betray us?** ”

 

And today, I had realized that this was how my new school life began… Whether I hate it or not, I had no choice but to get used to it. Trapped in a school and forced to kill an innocent person to escape… Trapped in a school – a school that was the best academy to attend to in Japan – that was **not a school of hope.** It’s…

 

…a **school of despair**.

 

And it made me sick to my stomach. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'll be super busy this week and next week with school finals so updates will be super slow

**Author's Note:**

> Here is my Quotev profile: https://www.quotev.com/BellaTheHalfSaiyan


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